Wichita eagle., 1887-11-29
THAT BUNDLE.

and she had some friends there who made
Paris their home. These friends, Mr..
and Miss Haven. business man and his
daughter, came to America for three
months one April. and among other visits
they made one % mutual friends in the
town in which lived.
l called to see them the day after their
arrival They were out, and left town
without returning my call, as they were
there but day or two, and without see
ing me OF any Of my family. l thought
but little OF the matter, though | was
sorry TO have missed them.
A month went by, and one evening, Just
at twilight, one of the ladies Of the family
whom they had vfsited-whom l will call
Smith for the sake Of convenience-came
in 10 see ne, and said
t'Oh, / only ran in for a minute! I've
been trying TO CONS for month to ask
you why you never acknowledged the re-
cefpt of that bundle Mr.. Haven brought
over To- you from Mrs. Bowen"
what bundle," said. II never had
any bundles: / never knew that Mrs.
Bowen sent me any bundle.
''Why you must have it; you must for
get. Mr.. Haven sent il to you by the
Adams Express from New York as soon
as be landed, and he has thought it very
strange that you never acknowledged it.
And be has got so vexed about it, and
thought it so rude Of you not TO thank
him for bringing il to you that he wouldn't
ask about it until now, just as he IS going
home again, for he wants to tell Mrs.
Bowen you received il.
81 am awfully sorry" / said; "bUt you
know l couldn't very well write about
bundle l never received and didn't know
had been SAINT
''Wha6 was In the bundle?n
Ny curiosity was very great, end I lis
tened eagerly for her answer. Visions Of
all sorts Of beautiful things flashed through
my head-gloyes, handkerchiefs, stockings,
perhaps even dress. Could it be raw
fishing bonnet? | was all ears and all eX-
element,
Miss Haven said she didn't know what
was in the bundle, but she said it felt Ike
silks or satias. 1t wasn't large bundle"
We'll I said, now where under the
SUE is that bundle?"
1T might possibly have gone to faith
ers, my husband remarked.
He had dropped hiS usually all absorb
ing evening paper and was listening to US.
Your father's?'' | nearly shrieked
'tDea- met If there is anything absolutely
deteStable il IL to live in small town
and be the duplicate in name of your
mother-in-law with junior attached, which
ali your friends forget and all your enc
mics as well. Our dinners have gone to
your fathers, and they have eaten them.
They have stewed our cherished small
purchases of early Bermuda tomatoes for
salads, read nay letters, been Mortified by
my bills, kept my dresses and bonnets a
week or SO until they found they were
mine, and now they have got my bundle
] wish''-and here l rose from my chair
to give emphasis to my words-.'yes, |
do wish you had been named Nobuchad-
nezxar; anything but what you are
named"
Eyes" said my husband, ''it is annoy
ing certainly; but you know even nv
mother would hardly have kept bundle
three months On the whole, it couldn't
have gone there"
| felt stern reproof in my husbands
voice, and / took refuge in remarking
tartiy:
well, what did you suggest it forf''
eff you will wait, Mrs. Smith, said nv
husband, rising, ''Tn walk up to fathers
end just find out positively if the bundle
went there or not If it didn't. we must
inquire at the express Office. OF course it .
viii turn up"
So he went off. and we sat and talked .
until he came back, bur when he did come
1t was only to say:
They don't know anything about any
bundle
We exclaimed, and wondered, and sur
missed for hrtle while, and then my hus-
band went down town and inquired ri the
express Office. After he went Mrs Smith
explained no me that Mr.. Haven, in his
frequent trips across the Atlantic. had been
20 bothered by frequent applications from
friends TO take over to America vsriouz
bundles, sometimes of dutiable goods. which
be WAS expected 10 smuggle, that he had
FOR years made it point to say mo; TO
III such requests from every body. no matter
from whom they might come; but that nv
SISTER, not being aware Of this fact, had
asked him to teks the small bundle for
ne and that he had gladly done SD. Miss
asven had described the bundle 10 Mrs.
Smith. II wRs about ten inches long by
five wide, and was done up in gray yrrap-
ping paper, and WIS fully addressed 10
city, street and number. Miss
Haven remembered the bundle WILDLY.
because when Mrs. Bowen had sent word
hat It was q small bundle, she Judged
hat Ii might perhaps n, up n quarter of
, trunk of ordinary size and SO had
packed one Of her trunks with reference
q it, and wss delightfully."- surprised when
he found that from her poiut OF view il
'eally was q small bundle II was the
'nly bundle they brought over not their
'rn. They had brought ever two or three
,Ifts for friends. and all had been sent
away at the same time from the Hotel
Brunswick in New York
Here seemed n clew that I eagerly
.aught.
1T may have gone as q gift to one OF
hose friends who just acknowledged re-
Giving their beautiful present, etc. ana
ildat specify what article had been re-
eived," l said.
But, said Mrs. Smith, 1.-The bundle
vas addressed TO you. They never
hanged it at all, but just sent it of !
We'll" said, then the express COM
ANY has mislaid it or lost it, but it :
would be o real comfort 10 me 70 know
What was in that bundle"
Write 10 your sister and find out"
aid Mrs. Smith
Brilliant idcrr' I sat down 10 nv
esk and wrote two letters, one 10 my sis
Pr IN Paris, saying that had Just learned
hat she had sent me bundle BY Mr. |
tsven. and that il had never reached me. S
IS wrote il occurred 10 ne that shs had /
Intended the gift as surprise and that I
vas the reason l had not known Of it. c
All this | wrote, and begged her 10 answer /
ne AZ once. This was Monday night. and @
was going 10 New York the next day.
text day but one wrote a note 20 Mr. I
haven, who was to return alone stariu, I